New Year, New Start
by swimmy6
Summary: Lizzie Bennet has had a horrible year, but maybe meeting this man at the bar on New Year's Eve is the new start that she's been begging for. Then again, maybe not. After so many roadblocks in her past, can these burdens be lifted for Lizzie to enter into the future?
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Hey everyone, this is my first Pride and Prejudice fanfiction. Please let me know what you think. I own nothing. Rated T for language.**

* * *

 **December 31** **st** **8:10pm**

What she hadn't expected that weekend was to end up alone at the bars. Sure, she knew going out with her very single friend usually led to her sitting at the bar by herself, but it was New Year's Eve! What best friend would leave her all alone at the bar? Especially when she had gone through all the effort to dress up.

The worst part of it all was the fact that her best friend was no more than twenty feet away from her having the time of her life with the weirdest guy known to human kind. We're not talking in generalities; we're being honest here. He's the kind of guy that every mother warns their daughter about. Okay, so maybe it's just weird because he was hitting on her for like an hour before he switched his attention to her friend.

Instead of flirting with the middle aged man to her right, she shot back the rest of her drink and stood to leave. Just as she was about to stand, someone swooped in and took the chair to her left. _Great, just another fuck boy or middle-aged man that's going to try to sleep with me tonight. I don't think so._

* * *

He had seen her as soon as he had walked into the bar. She seemed like she was the only one who did not want to be there. He wondered why that was. He followed her gaze to the couple that was dancing together. _Could she be jealous? No. She's annoyed. Maybe she got ditched?_ It was New Year's Eve, most people got ditched on New Year's Eve. Heck, Charlie probably ditched him already. He turned to see, and sure enough Charlie was gone. He looked around checking for Charlie, and found him speaking with a blond just ten feet away. They looked engrossed in the conversation and he really didn't want to deal with Charlie's love-dovey crap tonight.

Instead he looked to the bar again. She had dressed up, at least that's what he assumed. Maybe she wore dresses like that every day, he didn't know. She looked amazing, though, in her red dress and lacy black tights. Her hair was also done so that it had a natural wave to it. The light caught her eyes in that moment, and he saw they were a striking green. She was gorgeous. Absolutely gorgeous. Yet, there was something that was so recognizable about her. He couldn't figure it out, but he felt like he had seen her before. Then again, Seattle was a big city. It's possible he saw her on the streets when he was walking to work.

He noticed that she crossed her arms, giving a glare to the blond that was talking with Charlie. _Maybe she's a pessimist? It seems that maybe she shouldn't have come out tonight if that's how feels._ He thought for a few seconds longer before deciding to go talk with her. It was only one night, what was the worst that could happen? He found the chair to her left open, but before he could even begin she snapped at him.

* * *

Lizzie was sick and tired of being hit on by men tonight. She'd had enough middle-aged men hitting on her as it was. So instead of just walking away, she blew up, "Listen, I don't care that you're a middle-aged man who's probably just horny and I'm a lone female out on New Year's Eve! Just leave me-" Finally she turned to look at the slime ball that was now occupying the seat to her left, "Oh." ' _Oh,' really? That's all you could come up with right now?_

"Sorry, it's just I've been ditched by my best friend and my sister for the evening; I was just heading out." She finished. To be honest, she was slightly intrigued as to why a man that looked like he did chose to sit next to her. Even better, why was a man like this out on New Year's Eve; didn't people like him host parties with all those socialites who wore long red dresses and all that other bull shit?

She grabbed for her purse, but she realized he was saying something before she could just grab for it, "I got ditched too. My best friend decided to ditch me for that blond in the corner."

Her eyes snapped up. _Well that sounded a little rude. Jane's not just some blond in the corner._ "My sister is that blond, excuse you." She snapped. So she was having a shit night, she could take it out on whoever she wanted. Until then she had been perfectly content not to look at him, but her defiant nature kicked in. She met his brown eyes and felt slightly disarmed.

"I meant that my friend has a tendency to like any girl, I didn't mean to offend." He huffed, "Anyway, you looked like you were having a shit night. From what I could tell you had been abandoned by at least one friend." He looked over to where Charlotte was dancing with Billy Collins.

 _How did he even know that? Was he watching her?_

"It wasn't that hard to tell. I saw you as soon as I walked in and you were glaring at them." He shrugged in a nonchalant way, "I wanted to buy you a drink. I mean, if you'd like one." He blushed a little and looked away from her. _Was he nervous? Why on God's Green Earth would this man be nervous to ask her for a drink? I'm sure girls just faun over him._

Lizzie eyed the bar stool that she had just vacated skeptically before resuming the seat she had been previously subjected to one hour of Billy Collins and Charlotte dancing. "One drink," she told him firmly. She noticed that when he smiled he had dimples. _That's something that I didn't expect from him. He seems so serious._

He waved for the bartender in such a calm and sophisticated way. _How can you even wave a bartender down in a sophisticated way?_ She took this chance to finally look at him. He had black hair that was slightly curled. He was wearing a light blue button down shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows. On his wrist was a nice watch that she'd seen many medical school students running around with before they realized how impractical they were for medicine. She had to admit, he was extremely attractive.

For himself he ordered a whiskey on the rocks; she had been expecting him to choose something for her such as making the assumption that she enjoyed those fruity drinks that Jane and Charlotte tended to like. Instead he looked at her and it took her a few seconds to realize that she was supposed to order as well. "Make that two."

"I didn't get a chance to introduce myself, I'm Will."

"Elizabeth." She paused trying to think of something to talk about. "So, Will, what do you do?"

"I'm a manager at an accounting firm." _Impressive._ "What do you do?" He asked her after taking a sip of his drink.

"I'm a nurse."

There was an awkward pause, and she debated just thanking him for the drink and leaving. She was just about to say it, when he said, "What hospital do you work at?"

"None of your business, creep." She snapped.

"Sorry, I'm stuffing this all up. Will you tell me what floor or unit you work on?" He seemed desperate, but not the crazy desperate, just desperate. "I work in the Hematology-Oncology unit at the hospital just up the street."

Then he had to continue to probe her, "St. Joe's?"

"How did you know that?" Her face was shocked.

"You took care of my dad. He died about a year ago." Lizzie was attempting to dig into her memory. Many of the patients she had cared for in the Hematology-Oncology unit she repressed because the grieving process was easier when you just forgot about it.

Will continued, "I was in that crazy family with that overly obsessive aunt that demanded everything and I was a 'rude piece of shit' to you."

"Oh, Mr. Darcy!" She smiled a bit, "Don't worry, I've gotten used to your type in the hospital." She turned away from him before staring down at her tumbler.

"I wanted to say I apologize for having acted in such a manner to insult you last year. By way of explanation, not excuse, I want to tell you that I was grieving the loss of a father and I felt the need to lash out on someone, that being you. In fact, why I ever called you 'just a nurse,' and that you were 'barely tolerable,' is beyond me. I believe you are quite beautiful and you dealt very well with my Aunt Catherine when she was complaining about everything you did." She noticed he was rambling so and recognized it as him being nervous about such an apology.

To be completely honest, she would have to admit that she debated getting up from her chair as soon as she remembered him. She had hated that man for about one and a half years. He was the man that drove her into Wickham's waiting and charming arms. Lizzie had believed every word that Wickham had said because Will had been such a piece of shit to her. _I mean, who called me barely tolerable then asked that I be moved off of their father's care because I was 'just a nurse' and 'barely competent enough to have graduated college.'_

When Will had told her that she had helped care for his father, Mr. Darcy, she began to see the familial resemblance. Prior to chemotherapy, Mr. Darcy had had curly gray hair; although he would have given you _that look_ if you said it was gray. He made sure to tell everyone that it was black. Just like Will's.

They also had the same look in their eyes. Exhausted and pained. _You have the next two days off, why are you assessing him for interventions?_ The only difference was the color; his father had hazel eyes with green thrown in for good measure. Will's were completely brown.

"So you still find me barely competent, then?" She challenged. Lizzie wanted to hear from him that he didn't mean it.

"I find you exceptionally competent. More so than most women and men that I know. My father told me to treat you with the respect that you deserve and I learned just how competent of a person you are, Elizabeth. Your care of my father and our family was exceptional, with nothing lacking at all."

"Alright, I accept your apology." She paused to take a sip of her drink, "So, what do you like to do that isn't accounting, which is boring!"

"Hey, I find accounting _very_ interesting. You never know what kind of crack pot doctor is going to turn up with their finances out of control. I'm the one that keeps your hospitals in working order."

"Then what else do you like to do?"

"Well," She noticed he paused, "I like to read, play guitar, some times I dance, but very rarely. I prefer to stand and watch others dancing because I never sure of my feet."

"What type of guitar? Acoustic or electric?"

"I prefer acoustic, but if I'm borrowing at my aunt's house, I'll take whichever she decides for me." Lizzie couldn't help letting out a soft laugh. She remembered his Aunt Catherine. The woman was absolutely crazy. Not only did she have extremely outdated ideas of what an accomplished nurse and woman should be able to do, but she actually demanded that Lizzie meet her expectations. His aunt demanded that she wear the cap and only wear white in Mr. Darcy's room because that was proper for her to do. She demanded to speak with the doctor before Lizzie was able to do anything for Mr. Darcy. Many times the woman refused the treatment because Mr. Darcy was asleep and was not to be awaken for his chemotherapy. Lizzie gave the woman a piece of her mind one time, but Will had been watching her closely. She had suspected he was judging her rash behavior.

"And just how is your _delightful_ aunt doing?"

Will rolled his eyes, "She's just as crazy as ever. I've never seen her so angry as when you called her out on her antiquated views of nursing. That was a highlight of my year. It gave me the courage to stand up to my aunt about what I wanted."

"Would you care to elaborate on that?"

"She was trying to have my father give her custody over my little sister. I put my foot down, and my father agreed that I would have custody over Gigi if he were to die. Catherine also demanded that I be more sensible and merge my father's company with her company even though hers was going bankrupt."

Lizzie was shocked. When she had first met William Darcy he was anything except personable. He acted like he had a stick up his ass. To have him explaining so much about his personal life was confusing to Lizzie because he was so private about himself.

"That must have been so difficult for you to deal with."

Just then, just as she was getting to know him, Charlotte just had to come interrupt. "Hey, Lizzie, I'm going to head out with Billy. Have a good night!" Charlotte just grabbed her purse and jacket before Lizzie could even get a word out to her. She fought the urge to roll her eyes at her desperate best friend. The urge won. She heard Will snort next to her.

Not ten minutes later, they were joined by Jane and Will's best friend. "Lizzie, I didn't even know you were still here!" Jane smiled at her genuinely, "I'm so glad you haven't left yet. You really needed a chance to get out. Anyway, I'm rambling. I'd like to introduce you to Charles Bingley. He's one of the new surgical residents at St. Joe's." Lizzie pushed her hand out to Dr. Bingley. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Dr. Bingley. I'm Lizzie, I'm a nurse on the Hem-Onc unit at St. Joe's."

"Nice to meet you, Lizzie. You can call me Charlie. I see you've met Will. I hope he wasn't too cynical for you." _Cynical? He most definitely does not act cynical._

"Nope. He's been very cordial this whole time. He even bought me a drink."

"Will Darcy bought a girl a drink? The woman, the myth, the legend!" Charlie said dramatically. Lizzie was slightly confused by this. To her Will Darcy was a man that many women could not turn down; no he was surely a great guy with a chance with ladies better than herself. Then she looked at him and noticed the blush that had spread to his face and the tips of his ears. This is what made her start to blush. _Gosh, I haven't blushed this much since George._

Speak of the devil and he shall appear. The door to the bar opened and as was his wont, George Wickham strolled in. His hair looked like it always had: perfect, but not to be messed with. He gave a girl to his left a charming smile before making his way to the bar.

Lizzie looked away from the impending doom. She met Jane's worried eyes, "I was actually just heading out. I really should be getting some sleep." She turned to shake Will's hand, but refused to meet his eyes. She called out goodbyes and turned to leave.

As soon as she had made her way out of the door, somehow unseen by Wickham, she leant up against the brick of the building and began sobbing uncontrollably. Sure she was glad for him to be out of her life, but seeing him again after she gave him her heart and he brutally crushed it, that haunted her.

She wasn't even aware that the door opened a second time, emitting another to her breakdown, "Well, well, well, if it isn't Lizzie Bennet." Lizzie's head snapped up.

"What do you want from me?"

"We ended our relationship on such a bad note, I want another chance. Let me woo you again." Lizzie snorted and turned to walk away, but he caught her wrist and jerked her back to face him. She was staring up at the stubble on his chin as he heatedly started abusing her senses with all of her mistakes. Just one more second and she would have spit in his face.

Luckily, she didn't have to because Will Darcy came out of the bar. As soon as he saw her predicament, he came and shoved Wickham away, "What the fuck are you doing?" Wickham demanded.

"I'm trying to save a lovely lady from an asshole like you." _Who knew Darcy could cuss? I wouldn't have guessed it._ That's when George Wickham started laughing, "Oh. Oh! You like her don't you, Darcy?" He carried on laughing like the maniac that he is. Lizzie felt herself starting to blush again. _Not here, not now, Wickham. Don't destroy any possibility I have with this guy. Be a decent person for once in your life!_

"Too bad she's already been mine. Too bad she gave everything to me. She's just a bunch of baggage now, don't waste your time on her." Wickham spat at her and Lizzie lost it. All she could feel was rage at this man who ruined her life every chance he got.

Wickham never had a chance against a furious Lizzie, let alone a furious William Darcy. Will shoved Wickham's shoulder and he stumbled away from her, "Leave her alone, George. She deserves better than you."

"How much will it cost for you to keep her to yourself, Darcy?"

Lizzie had stormed off during this interaction; the last thing she wanted to listen to was William Darcy beating up George Wickham for her. She was attempting to get as far away from George Wickham as possible before she caught her cab. Lizzie was absolutely floored that George Wickham would show up out of the blue and ruin her night. She was charmed, though, by Darcy. She felt her cheeks heat with the thought of Will Darcy. _He's so different than what I remember. He was so proud and vain last year, now he's an amazing person that cares for so many people_.

Lizzie noted a man approaching her from her peripheral vision. She reached for her purse and held it tightly so it would be easier to run. The man easily caught her hand before she could run. She stopped for a second and noticed the black hair and brown eyes staring at her in concern.

He stood with her for a few more seconds. She could tell he was analyzing her posture and facial expressions, so she removed all of the emotion from her face. She looked at him blankly, as if she hadn't almost just fought George Wickham outside of a bar on New Year's Eve. He looked at her in that disarming way of his and asked, "Are you okay?"

Suddenly Lizzie could feel the tears that always accompanied any interaction with George Wickham; she pushed the tears back and said, "Yeah, I'm fine." Her voice was emotionless, but somehow she knew that if he kept looking at her with _that look_ , she was going to breakdown again, "I'm fine." She repeated, more to herself than to him. "Okay, so I'm not fine, happy?" He smiled just a bit at that. He opened his arms for her and she lost it.

Here she was on New Year's Eve, with an amazing guy who was quite possibly the most amazing person she had ever met and she was crying over her absolutely awful ex-boyfriend. What kind of girl was she? _Not a normal one, obviously._

Will Darcy just stood there and let her cry to him for way too long, but she needed it. She _really_ needed it. He just said every once in a while, "It's all going to be okay." After what seemed like hours, she pulled away from him and wiped the tears from her eyes. "I'm so sorry, I've ruined your shirt. If you need me to, I can buy-"

"It's okay. George Wickham is an absolute asshole. I totally understand." After a few more seconds he continued, "Do you want to maybe get some food? Or maybe go for a walk? I know it's kind of late, but I don't really want this to end." She nodded.

"A walk sounds good." After another few moments she ventured to ask him about Wickham, "So how do you know him?"

Darcy straightened up and was stiff in his speech, "We went to high school together," She nodded, her nursing instincts telling her there was more to it, "He wasn't the best in high school, but my dad still loved him. He felt like he was the second son to him." Will continued bitterly, "Dad never knew what he was really like. I didn't even know what he was like until a six months ago!"

"What happened six months ago?" She asked quietly. He looked back down at her. It seemed as if he had forgotten that she was even there. "I found him in bed with my sister. He was a substitute teacher at her school for about three months. They'd been 'seeing each other,' for two months. I wrote him a check for $15,000 and he left. I hadn't seen him since."

"I'm so sorry. Is she okay? Has she had anyone to talk to?"

"She's been seeing a psychologist for it since then. What about you? If you don't mind me asking."

"We'd dated from last January until late February. He wasn't the kind of person I wanted to keep around. He was always telling me I'd done something wrong and that I was stupid. I finally broke it off when I found out he was using my credit cards to rack up a bunch of gambling debts. I just got finished paying off those debts last week. Thus, the big girl's night out because I've been working five days per week, every week with twelve hour shifts. I've been picking up shifts all over downtown, just trying to get these debts paid back and then I get to go out and he _ruins it!_ I never knew how much could ruin my life, but look at me now." She laughed bitterly.

"How much debt did he rack up on your cards?"

"About $50,000; I don't really like to talk about it much. I'm just glad that he's gone." She sighed, "Anyway, tell me about your sister."

"Georgiana- sorry, Gigi- is seven years younger than me. She'll finish her first year of college in May. She's actually interested in nursing, believe it or not."

"I'm sure you're thrilled with the stories she tells you about when she's home." She laughed a bit remembering all the stories she used to tell Jane. Jane would just get disgusted and demand Lizzie stop before she vomited.

"She's actually not one to talk much. She's pretty quiet. I guess it's a family trait. Anyway, she hasn't said much about anything for the past six months really." Lizzie knew how that felt. She knew exactly what it was like trying to bottle up your mistakes, especially when those mistakes were because of George Wickham. She hadn't been able to see, do, or feel anything for that year it took her to pay off her debts.

"This may be the weirdest request I've ever asked, but I'm going to do it anyway. Could I possibly meet her? I understand a lot of what she's going through right now with Wickham and nursing school."

Darcy was a little taken aback by her request, but he was happy to introduce his sister to Lizzie. He was sure that one day he would have to. "Of course. If you have nothing to do for the rest of the night… Sorry, what am I thinking it's New Year's Eve, of course you don't want to be stuck talking with my sister. I'm sorry-"

"There's nothing I'd rather do tonight than help a girl who is going through a lot of shit right now. George Wickham is a dangerous man for a girl's self-esteem. The sooner I can meet her, the better. If now works, now it will be." Lizzie told him in a strong voice. She saw his dimples reappear, then noticed his eyes had moved to her lips. Lizzie looked away from his gaze. She didn't want to kiss him in this situation. She had literally just cried to him over her awful ex-boyfriend. What kind of girl would that make her if she was kissing him after complaining about her ex?

Instead, she turned to the street and hailed the taxi. Once they had gotten inside and Will had told the cabbie the address, he pulled out his phone and placed it on speaker. "Gigi, are you awake?"

"Yes, darling brother. What ever could you want? Isn't it past your bedtime?" She saw him blush even in the darkness of the cab. He cleared his throat, "Well, I'm bringing someone home for you to meet-"

"You're bringing a girl home? You _never_ bring girls home! Oh my gosh! Tell me everything! What does she look like? What's her favorite color? What's her name? Just tell me her name and I'll look her up on every social media platform! Will!" Gigi whined on the other end of the phone. Now it was Lizzie's turn to blush.

"Gigi, calm down. We'll be there in like 3 minutes. You'll meet her then."

"I cannot believe you're bringing a girl home! William Darcy, I am so proud of you. I give her my seal of approval already."

"Gigi-" She wasn't listening. She was rambling on about this _girl_ , "Oh just please tell me her name! You _have_ to tell me; I _need_ to know now!" Gigi whined over the phone. Lizzie started laughing aloud just then, and Gigi suddenly went silent. "Will, why didn't you tell me you were on speaker phone?" Gigi demanded. "Hello, mystery girl. My name is Georgiana Darcy. What's your name?"

"Hello, Georgiana- Gigi- my name is Elizabeth Bennet."

"Oh my God, she's real?" She demanded of Will, "How much longer until you're back?"

"Maybe like another minute or so."

The taxi pulled up to a large apartment complex that overlooked the entire skyline of Seattle. Lizzie was in amazement as she walked through the lobby. The elevator ride was very comfortable, especially when Will Darcy nervously put his hand in hers. She turned and looked at him as if she was uncomfortable and he dropped her hand quickly.

Just then the elevator doors clicked open directly onto the top floor. "Will!" She heard a girl screech. She was about the same height as Lizzie, but she looked exactly like Jane: blue eyes and blond hair that reached her waist. She looked a little too excited to be meeting her brother's friend, but Lizzie couldn't judge her.

"Hi, you must be Elizabeth Bennet. I'm Gigi Darcy." It was Gigi's turn to survey her, and a few seconds later Gigi told her, "Come with me, you must want to get out of that right now. I can't imagine even wearing heels that cute for such a long time." Gigi grabbed her hand and towed her towards the right.

"So when did you and my brother meet? How did you two meet?" Gigi was going through her closet then pointed for Lizzie to sit down on her bed.

"Actually I met him about a year ago. Tonight I was at a bar and I got ditched by some friends and he just asked if I wanted a drink. He kind of saved me from my jerk ass ex-boyfriend."

"I know _all_ about those… Will's the best when it comes to saving you from jerk-ass ex's."

"Yeah, Wickham did a real number on me."

"How do you know that name?" Gigi suddenly blanched. Lizzie tried to recover from her mistake.

"I dated him about a year ago and he racked up some pretty heavy debts on my credit cards. How do you-"

"I know Will already told you everything." Gigi said quietly as she handed Lizzie a pair of sweat pants and a hoodie. Gigi pointed her to the bathroom that was connected to her room. Lizzie went to change and when she came back out, Gigi was sitting on her bed looking lost.

"Hey, I know Will told me what happened, but you're the one who went through the experience. You can always talk to me about it. It doesn't have to be today; I'll even give you my number." Gigi looked down and tears began rolling down her cheeks. "It's okay, Wickham is a huge asshole. No one understands how much he can trick you than I do. I get what you went through. It sucks. But never, ever let him do as much damage as he has done to you. He's not good enough to cry over. He's not man enough to love you, so don't love him because he doesn't deserve it."

"Thanks, Lizzie."

"And promise me that if you ever feel like crap because of anything, you'll give me a call. I don't care what time of the day it is, I'll probably be awake regardless. Give me a call. Promise me, Gigi." Lizzie said looking into Gigi Darcy's eyes. Gigi nodded firmly swapping phones with Lizzie.

After another twenty minutes, Lizzie and Gigi exited Gigi's room. Gigi had broken down to Lizzie and confessed all. Lizzie encourage the girl to explain all of her feelings, regardless of how silly she felt they were. Gigi wouldn't stop giving her hugs, not that Lizzie minded.

"Will, did you make popcorn? And hot chocolate? You're the best!" Gigi cried sitting on the opposite side away from Will, so Lizzie would have to sit next Will. _That Gigi has some ideas that should probably be fixed, but who was she to fix Gigi's ideas. That's her brother's job._ Lizzie sat down next to Will and he offered some hot chocolate, which she gratefully accepted just so she could put something in her hands to distract her.

"Everything is alright then?" Will asked looking at his sister.

"All I can say, William Henry Darcy, is that if you screw this relationship up, I will never speak to you ever again. Understand?" Lizzie felt her ears turn red and looked at Will and noticed that he was bright red and was not interested in looking away from the popcorn bowl. "And I expect to know about things in the future. You can't just spring a girlfriend on me without even broaching the topic with me."

"Um, Gigi, I don't really know how to explain this to you, but your brother and I are just friends." Gigi snorted in laughter.

"Oh, I know. Will knows what he wants though." Gigi let out a long, drawn out yawn, "Anyway, it's definitely way past my bedtime, so I must bid you both goodnight." They both sat in an uncomfortable silence for a few seconds.

"I'm sorry for Gigi, she can be a bit much sometimes. She means well, but sometimes she gets a bit carried away."

"You don't have to apologize for your sister. She's wonderful. I'm really glad I could help her. Anyway, what were you watching?"

"Just Grey's Anatomy." She stared at him in disbelief. "Grey's Anatomy? You're freaking kidding me right?" When he shook his head, "God, you're freaking perfect!" Lizzie put her head in her hands, "You are the sweetest, kindest person I have _ever_ met, you absolutely adore your younger sister, you helped me get over George Wickham, you never even really questioned me about him, and you watch Grey's Anatomy!"

"Elizabeth, are you alright?"

Lizzie straightened up immediately, "I really think I should be going. I'm so sorry again for intruding on your kindness. I'll call a cab downstairs, please don't worry about me. I'll let myself out. Again, it was great to meet you and you're an amazing person. Thank you again, for everything. Please just forget about me."

"Lizzie, what's wrong? Did I say something? Did I do something wrong?" Will grabbed for her hand.

"No, you did everything right, I just messed up. I'm sorry, I don't deserve to even be here. I'll see you around. Thank you again for everything, Will. You deserve the very best in life." With that she turned and entered the elevator and was gone.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: So I'm back with a pretty quick update. This might be the last one for the next few weeks. I'm about to enter into finals week at school so I should probably start studying. Thank you again for the great response and favorites/alerts/reviews. Please let me know what you think of this chapter!**

 **January 3** **rd** **9:00am**

Lizzie was having a particularly awful day at work. She had about four patients that were demanding everything be done at the same time as everyone else. On top of that, she had forgotten her coffee at home today. She was seriously struggling without the extra caffeine in her system.

"Excuse me, but I was looking for an Elizabeth Bennet, but it seems she looks like she's fallen asleep. Perhaps, you want this black coffee with a single packet of sugar and a single packet of French Vanilla creamer?" Lizzie opened her eyes barely registering what was happening.

She reached her hand out, "Coffee. Need coffee." A few seconds after she took a good long sip, she realized what was going on. Will Darcy was standing next to her in his crisp blue oxford polo and navy blue pants and a matching blazer. He appeared to be right out of a fashion magazine. Not that Lizzie minded taking in his appearance, but his appearance at her hospital was disconcerting nonetheless. "What are you doing here? You shouldn't be here." Lizzie hissed.

"Why not?"

"Because I distinctly remember telling you to forget about me. Why are you here?"

"Jane mentioned that you always forget to get coffee in the morning and end up drinking the horrible hospital stuff by time it's 10am. I thought I'd save you from your hospital coffee fate." He smiled smugly at her.

"I'm going to kill Jane when I see her again." She turned back to him, "Listen, this was nice of you and all, but I need to get back to work. Thank you for the coffee again." She all but forced him around the corner so she could focus again.

Charlotte turned to Lizzie, "Who is that and where can I get one?"

Lizzie put her head back down on her computer and groaned in frustration.

* * *

"So, Lizzie, how was work today?"

"Something weird happened today, Jane. Darcy showed up with a cup of coffee at 9am. He said that you told him I need coffee by 10am daily. Care to explain?" Lizzie tapped her foot against the carpet and held a strong stare with Jane.

"He's so good for you, Lizzie!"

"But do you even know how embarrassing I would be for him? I'm not good enough to deserve a man like that, Jane. And you know it!

And just like that Lizzie got into the habit of getting coffee from Will Darcy every Tuesday and Thursday at 0800 hours. Rain, snow, or sun, he was always there right at 9am with her coffee. To be honest, if she wasn't thinking, she would've kissed him by now for getting her so much coffee. She felt that even though she kept pushing him away, he was slowly chipping away at her surface until she would finally give in and go out with him.

It was 0800 hours on a Thursday morning in mid-January when he walked in with two cups of coffee: one for him, the other for her. Her heart jumped to her throat when she saw him. She quickly made to grab the coffee, but Will moved it just out of her reach. She looked up at him and saw him smiling, "You might not know this, but I have the day off. Instead of just getting you coffee, I was thinking that we could get lunch. What do you think?"

Lizzie went immediately pale. _Oh God, not commitment. She wasn't ready for this stuff yet. But coffee, you really need that coffee right now._ "I'm thinking that I need some coffee to think it over before I give you an answer." She quickly grabbed the coffee from his hands. By time she took a sip, she regretted her decision immensely, "Ew, straight black coffee?"

"So, how about lunch?" He asked her again.

"Oh, coffee boy is back again!" Lizzie glared at Charlotte as she turned back to Will Darcy. She tried to grab the other coffee cup, but he was too quick. "So lunch?" He asked again. She realized that he wasn't going to let her have her coffee until she answered, but Charlotte beat her to it, "Of course, I'll cover you for thirty minutes. _Well, there goes that excuse._

"Lunch?"

"Fine. Only one lunch, then you leave me alone for the rest of my life, okay?"

"Fine, just lunch. That's it. You act like this is a marriage proposal, Elizabeth. It's just two people sitting down eating at the same table at the same time. Don't act like it's that bad."

"Fine, fine, I'll be there. But only 30 minutes, not a minute more. I'll meet you in the cafeteria at 1330 hours, not a minute sooner, not a minute later. Understood?" He nodded then handed her the coffee.

"1330 hours in the cafeteria, not a minute sooner, and no going over 1400 hours. Yeah, I think I've got it. I'll probably just hang out down there for a while and work on some accounting business until then."

Although Lizzie had told him strictly 1330 hours, she found herself pacing outside of the doors three minutes early. She mentally went through everything that could possibly happen during a 30-minute period. When her watch finally struck 1330 hours, she went into the cafeteria. She found him in a sunny corner with his laptop open. He looked up when he saw her come closer. "Hey, Elizabeth!" He reached out to give her a hug, but she stopped him.

"You really don't want to know what these scrubs have been through today." Obviously that didn't stop him because he opened his arms again and she finally consented to the hug.

Lizzie sat down quickly, pulling out a salad she had packed the night before. Well, maybe Jane had packed it, but that didn't matter. Lizzie began scrolling through her phone as she ate her salad. She noticed that Darcy was packing up his laptop and sat there quietly, just watching her. "Something you don't like, Darcy?" She challenged not even taking her eyes off of her phone.

"No. I'm enjoying watching you multi-task." He paused, "So, how have you been?"

"I'm great. How's Gigi?"

"She can't stop talking about you. Maybe you two could hang out this weekend? She said she really misses you."

"Can't. I'm working the night shift." She told him quickly.

"Well, how about Sunday?"

"Night shift."

"Monday?"

"Night shift."

"Tuesday?"

"Night shift."

"Wednesday?"

"Night Shift."

"Lizzie, come on! Do you really work that many night shifts in a row? Please?"

"So I have night shift through Monday morning, but I'll be recovering from night shift until I have day shift on Wednesday." Lizzie challenged back.

"So when after Tuesday works?"

"I get off at 7pm on Thursday."

"So dinner on Thursday after work? Gigi can come too."

Lizzie resisted the urge to roll her eyes. On New Year's Eve he hadn't been this proud or arrogant. He had blushed and stammered his way into buying her a drink at the bar. This was _not_ the man she knew from that night. Lizzie scowled back at him, "I don't think that's about to happen." He nodded and dropped the topic. The rest of their lunch was eaten in silence.

Every once in a while Lizzie would feel his eyes on her. When she chanced a single look back at him, she became uncomfortable. He had such an intense gaze that even when he noticed her looking back, he refused to look away.

Eventually Lizzie couldn't take his gaze anymore. The words burst from her lips before she could even rethink her choices, "Why are you staring at me? Did you find something you disapprove of?" She snapped.

"Nothing of the sort. I think you're beautiful, that's all." _Talk about a mood swing._ Lizzie could feel her face heating up. The rest of the lunch was spent in quiet conversation about nothing quite so serious.

* * *

For the next four weeks, Lizzie found herself sitting with Will Darcy in the cafeteria during her quick lunch breaks. Lizzie had become used to him talking to her even though sometimes she despised it. And maybe, _just maybe_ , she was starting to really like him.

Today they sat talking about her family. "My family is crazy. You think your aunt is bad, you should meet my mother." He smiled back at her.

"How so?"

"She's always pushing Jane and me to marry rich men that move into her neighborhood. She doesn't care about love, but that's one thing I need to have in a marriage. I've seen just how far you get without it. My parents didn't last past my youngest sister's tenth birthday. They're planning on getting a divorce once Lydia turns twenty." Lizzie paused to take a bite out of her salad, "Anyway, enough about my mom. What about your mom?"

"My mom is dead."

Lizzie paled. _Here you are complaining about your mother being absolutely awful, but very much still alive and Will's parents are dead._ "I'm so sorry."

"Please, don't worry. I was seventeen when it happened. She made me promise not to make her memory in vain, but to remember her daily." To have Will tell her something so personal touched Lizzie.

Lizzie quickly finished her salad, then looked down at the watch on her wrist. It had been her grandmother's when she had been a nurse. The silver minutes' dial pointed to fifty-five minutes. She sent Will a pleading look before packing up her Tupperware, "I have to get back, I'm sorry." Ever the gentleman, he offered to walk back with her, even though it was more or less a thirty second elevator ride back to her floor.

When she got inside the elevator, she slipped her hand into his. _I'm doing it to show comfort for him having lost his mother and father_ , Lizzie justified. He dropped her off on her floor and just like that she was swept into the world of nursing once again.

* * *

For the next two weeks they ate their lunch together in the crappy hospital cafeteria. The following Tuesday he was late. Lizzie found herself slightly upset when she made it down to lunch that he wasn't waiting for her like he usually was. Instead she took their usual booth and sat down. She opened her lunch: a sandwich, apple, and pretzels.

Lizzie looked at her watch once more, 1335 hours. She knew she had absolutely no reason to be upset, but that didn't stop her mind from wishing he was sitting there with her. By 1340 hours she was about to give up and just head to her unit again; she had decided that she wasn't hungry anymore when he slid into their booth, "Hey, I'm sorry I'm late. I would have texted but…"

"But you don't have my number. Here." She wrote it down on a napkin and noticed the wide smile he had on his face.

"So how has your day been so far?"

"You know how my days are when I forget coffee." She took a bite from her sandwich, "Anyway, tell me about your boring day at the office."

"I've been in board meetings all morning. I just got out for a quick lunch, which I decided I could make if I ran. I really am sorry that I was late."

"Listen, I understand. You have a big boy job and have to be at meetings. How's your Aunt Catherine? Last you told me, she was trying to get you to reconsider merging the companies."

He groaned and put his head against the table, "I can't take it. The woman doesn't understand the meaning of no. How many times does it take for her to understand that no means no?"

"At least a few hundred more." Lizzie responded cheerfully.

Will paused and squinted his eyes at her, "You're not acting like you haven't had coffee today. When did you cave and buy it?"

"I swear, I didn't!" Lizzie laughed. She really hadn't bought coffee; she was just really happy to see him. Okay, maybe Charlotte had given her half of her Starbucks once it had gotten too cold. "I didn't buy coffee!"

"So Charlotte gave you some of hers then."

"Sometimes I think you should have gone into law. You'd make a great lawyer because you can put all the clues together." Even Will Darcy with all his manners snorted in laughter.

"That's very kind of you, Elizabeth."

"Will," Lizzie paused trying to figure out how to say this correctly. He looked at her, knowing her serious voice, "Why don't you call me Lizzie? Most people would have caught on by now that my nickname is Lizzie."

"I don't know. You were introduced to me as Elizabeth. That's just how I see you. Lizzie seems too young, childish." Her eyes widened.

"Childish?" He had insulted her again. She thought he knew better, but obviously he didn't. "Listen, I should probably be getting back to work anyway. Thanks again for stopping by. Don't bother running to make it next time." Her eyes flashed in anger. She put her pretzels back into her lunch bag and began to make her way to the elevators. Before she could push the up button, Will had grabbed her wrist and began pulling her toward the doors.

"Elizabeth, please, let me explain." They stood outside. Lizzie was beyond mad about this. It was the middle of February on a _snowy day_ while she was dressed solely in her scrubs, he stayed warm in his suit and pea coat. "I didn't mean that you were childish. I meant the nickname was something that most people don't use after college. I imagine you as a college girl, a lot less mature."

"You know, sometimes you need to learn when to put your fist in your mouth. Right now is one of those times. Goodbye, William Darcy." She brushed past him shivering and her hair matted with snow.

"Fine!" She heard him sigh, "I like how the name Elizabeth sounds."

"Well, why didn't you say that from the start?" She snapped. Lizzie only saw him shrug his shoulders, "Just because you've finally answered honestly does not mean that I'm not still mad at you." She opened the door and went back to her unit. Lizzie wouldn't see Darcy until next week, or so she hoped.

When Lizzie got home that night, Jane was in a fit trying to find something to wear, "Lizzie, I just don't have anything!" Jane would be going on a date tonight with Charles Bingley, a close friend of William Darcy. Jane had been attempting to talk her into going with her, claiming that it would be so much easier, but Lizzie had deflected, stating that she would be too exhausted.

Exhausted was the exact word Lizzie would use to describe the day she had. She didn't want to be angry with Darcy, but the things he said sometimes were absolutely rude. He needed to learn that not everything he said would be praised.

"Did you have a bad day, Lizzie?" Lizzie nodded into her sister's arms, "Did you and William have a fight?" Lizzie pulled away.

"How did you know?"

"Lizzie, look at the table." Lizzie walked into the kitchen and noticed a vase of daisies sitting there with a card. She noticed that the card had been opened, likely by Jane. The note claimed to be apologetic, but Lizzie wasn't going to let him buy his way out of the hole he'd put himself in. He was going to have to earn it like any normal, post-grad adult would have to. He would have to apologize sincerely and face-to-face.

Even though she adored daisies, she knew that if she was faced with them every waking moment, she would give in and forgive the man. She took the flowers and threw them in the trash just as Jane walked down, "Lizzie! What are you doing? Those are beautiful, they probably cost William fifty dollars!"

"He can't buy his forgiveness with flowers and insincere apologies. It only makes me madder."

"You're treating him like a boyfriend, Lizzie. Don't you think that's a bit severe?"

"Not at all, Jane. I'm teaching him to be a decent human being."

* * *

It took him longer than she had expected for him to understand that he couldn't buy his forgiveness. On Thursday of the next week, he'd come to understand her swift and short responses as annoyance, "Elizabeth," he said quietly, "I'm really sorry. I know you're still mad at me, just give me another chance. I never meant to offend you."

"You know, if you didn't have so much pride or vanity, I may have forgiven you faster." She snapped.

"Well if you weren't so prejudiced against me because of how I acted in the past, you may have been more likely to understand why I said what I did."

"And yet, you seem to think that because even though I have forgiven you for your behaviors in the past, that I would hold it against you now? Can't you see how proud that sounds?"

She noticed just how awkward he looked now. Yes, Lizzie hoped that eventually they could get through this fight, but it was pivotal in their friendship to understand that pride does not fester happiness.

"Elizabeth, please-" Lizzie began packing away her belongings. She looked up at Will and he stopped talking. He knew that look by now to stop pushing for her time, "I'm sorry. Give me another chance, please. I'll call you Lizzie. I'll call you whatever you want. I'm sorry."

"This isn't just about the name, Will. Maybe if you were less proud we wouldn't be in this situation. Let me quickly remind you of your presumption that I would go to dinner with you and Gigi solely because it fit with my work schedule."

"Give me another chance, Elizabeth. I'm literally begging you. Let me show you that I can change. I know I can."

"I'll think about it." Lizzie had basically rejected him. She saw the pain flash across his face, but still she did not regret her actions regarding his pride. If he always acted like this, she saw no future with the man.

"Then let me offer you blessings to your health and family." He rose and refused to meet her eyes. He shuffled out of the cafeteria.

* * *

For the next few weeks, she found coffee on her desk when she got to work in the morning. She knew Charlotte was behind most of it. Charlotte had cornered her last week and demanded to know what had happened to "Coffee Boy." When Lizzie had explained the entire situation, Charlotte had likely felt it necessary to make up for his mistakes with her own coffee.

He hadn't shown up for lunch in weeks. Lizzie knew the ball was in her court; if she wished to see if, it would be her desires that would drive the meeting. But she was worried that maybe she had gone too far. She may have possibly been judging his meaning on what she knew of him in the past.

Lizzie sighed. She decided _if I can't stop thinking about him in two weeks, I'll reach out to him._ The time in California would do her good.

Next week her Aunt Maddie and Uncle Ed would be taking her to California. After Lizzie had graduated nursing school, her aunt and uncle had offered to take her on a wine tour as a graduation gift. Being that she was low-man on the workplace list, she had to defer the offer for six years. Now, she would finally get a full week off of work and she could spend it relaxing with a glass of wine in her hand every day.

The next week couldn't arrive soon enough. Their first stop on their trip was to Pemberley, a grand winery that had been making wine for at least one hundred years. Maddie was especially excited to be visiting Sonoma Valley because she had grown up there. To be back by Pemberley was a dream for her. She spoke to Lizzie of it often, "You know, Mr. Darcy did his wine business a lot of good. He finally got his name out there; before his advertising campaigns, no one had even heard of Pemberley wines!"

Lizzie just about choked on her sandwich, "I'm sorry, did you say Mr. Darcy?"

"Oh, you didn't know that's who owned the winery?" Lizzie shook her head.

"Maybe we shouldn't go there. I mean I've heard that the new owner can be slightly proud. I don't really want to deal with that." Lizzie blushed and refused to look at her aunt.

"Lizzie. What's this about? Do you know Mr. Darcy?" Lizzie nodded in response, "Well word on the street is that he's out of town. He's been busy working for the family business up in Washington."

Upon rounding the hills that surrounded the house were adorned with grape vines. The house itself was built of a rough red brick, but nearly half of it was covered in green ivy. The house was beautiful with its large windows facing out toward the vineyard. Behind brick pillars covered in ivy was a cozy outdoor area. Had her mother been there, she would have been raptures that there were two story windows and at least twelve windows on the front side. Lizzie could feel her heart beating erratically in her chest. She was praying that William Darcy was not in residence at this moment.

When they were admitted into the entry hall, they were joined by a congenial woman named Mrs. Reynolds, "Hello! Were you hoping to have a wine tour today?" When Mrs. Gardiner confirmed this Mrs. Reynolds began with a tour of the estate. Beginning in the foyer, she showed them downstairs to the cellar. It was beautiful down there. The walls were lined with brick and shelves that contained at least a few thousand bottles of wine. Lizzie was utterly impressed with the collection. She noticed a picture of the family that rested on the table.

As she took a closer look she noticed that it was the Darcy Family including George Wickham. William and George were perched on top of barrels; Gigi was enclosed in her mother's arms. The picture had to be more than fifteen years old. Without thinking Lizzie picked it up. "Do you know William, Lizzie?"

Lizzie blushed, "Yes, I do."

"That was old Mr. Darcy's favorite picture. He could often be found down here with Anne laughing and drinking wine. When Anne died, he had this picture printed out and placed in his special areas of the house. I see you've noticed William. He's become so handsome recently, although, I can see much of the resemblance from his youth. Does it look like him?"

"Very much." Lizzie _really_ needed a breath of fresh air, "Is he here at the moment?"

"No, he should be in tomorrow, though." Lizzie let out a sigh of relief.

"Mrs. Reynolds, I'm feeling a little hot, would you mind if I stepped outside for a few minutes while you finish showing my aunt and uncle the rest of the cellar?" Mrs. Reynolds nodded and provided her with directions to the nearest door.

Once Lizzie had finally made it back outside she let out a sigh of relief. That relief didn't last long, "Elizabeth?" Lizzie knew that voice. On top of that, the only person who ever called her that was, "Darcy?"


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: I'm back! Instead of studying like I should have been doing yesterday, I wrote another chapter. As of Monday, I will be one week away from my final exams, so wish me luck! Let me know what you think of this chapter.**

* * *

Her shoulders tensed as she turned toward the voice. That voice could only be William Darcy's, but still she prayed that it wasn't. She saw him standing there in a pair of blue jeans and a t-shirt. He looked so different than from when he wore his suits. His hair was slightly damp and beginning to curl on his forehead. He had grown his facial hair out a bit, giving him a five o'clock shadow.

"Oh, um." She paused, "You're not supposed to be here! I've got to go." She rushed past him to the stairwell that led to the grounds.

"Lizzie." He caught up with her before she could even make it a few steps away from him. Lizzie didn't know why she thought she could out pace him. There was an awkward pause as both of them attempted to think of something to say. Will broke the silence, "How are you?"

"I'm fine."

"And your family?" _Well, this couldn't be anymore awkward._

"They're fine, too. Thank you." Lizzie noticed that her aunt and uncle had joined her and William on the balcony that overlooked the vineyards.

"I'm here with my Aunt and Uncle Gardiner. Mrs. Reynolds was showing them the cellar, but I needed some fresh air. I promise that had I known prior to coming on this trip that you owned Pemberley, I wouldn't have come."

"I'm glad you did." He paused awkwardly, "Gigi will be here tomorrow, how long do you plan to stay?" Her aunt and uncle had planned only a day trip to Pemberley and tomorrow they would be off to Matlock. Without knowing how to answer, her aunt spoke up, "We'll be here for a few more days. I have some old friends that I haven't seen in years."

"Excellent!" She noticed a red blush crawl up his neck when he said this. "Let me finish showing you the estate." He pointed out a lake to her uncle, then proceeded to invite him to fish there at any point in time, "The trout grow in numbers I am not able to decrease. It will take more than just me to decrease it." He turned to Aunt Maddie, "I can't help but notice the time. Would you like to stay for lunch and dinner? Tomorrow, Mr. Gardiner, please do come fishing. In fact, just stay the night; I insist." Aunt Gardiner confirmed that they would be delighted to spend the next two days at Pemberley.

Pemberley was beautiful. Amazing. Inspiring. She could see the original wooden floors running beneath her feet and the wood paneling that was on the walls was no doubt original. "Elizabeth, would you like to see the library?" _Library, this house has a library?_ All she could do was nod.

The library rivalled the rest of the house for beauty. She felt like Belle from Beauty and the Beast, and had no doubt of how Belle fell in love with the Beast. "I know you mentioned that you liked to read, so I figured you might enjoy having a large collection to choose from."

"It's perfect, thank you." Her eyes were hungrily taking in the thousands of books that lined his walls, "And all this time I thought you were just an accountant."

"I prefer that people think less of me." What had happened to the proud man that she would never talk with again. Instead he had been replaced by this congenial man that she had met on New Year's Eve. This man she _could_ fall in love with. _Shut up, brain!_

There was a knock on his door and Mrs. Reynolds entered, "William," She paused catching site of Lizzie, "Oh, I'm sorry. I wasn't aware that you had anyone in here."

"That is quite alright, Mrs. Reynolds." The woman seemed to genuinely care for Will, which surprised her because she thought everyone would hate him for his pride. But one look at Mrs. Reynolds and it was impossible to doubt the love that she held for the man standing in front of her. "It seems there was a flood on one part of the vineyard, the men have been taking care of it for the past few days, but they want your opinion on the matter."

"Thank you, Mrs. Reynolds. I trust Matthew and his crew to take care of the vineyards and do just what I would have done. I will be there in a few minutes, I promise." Mrs. Reynolds nodded before exiting the library. He turned back to Lizzie, "I apologize. I was going to ask if your aunt and uncle might be happy to join me for a picnic, but it seems that I am going to be otherwise engaged. I hope you don't mind; the library may offer some solace in the books, please feel at ease to read any that you wish."

"Thank you." She watched him turn and follow in the same manner that Mrs. Reynolds had. As he had retreated out of the library, she perused the stacks, finding a battered copy of _Emma_ sandwiched into the shelves. She debated returning to her room, but remembered that her aunt retired there, having not slept well for the past few nights with her children constantly waking up with nightmares.

Not wishing to disturb her aunt with the creaking of the floorboards or closing of doors, Lizzie made her way outside to the patio that overlooked the vineyards. Lizzie opened the book, but found her eyes were not even looking at the words. Instead she was staring at the table in front of her. _How could I have been such a horrible person to him? He's not proud. He's not arrogant. He's quiet. Yes, there are times when he needs to put his hand in his mouth, but don't we all?_

Lizzie couldn't get the vision of him so happy out of her mind. _Why in the world would he be happy to see me? I practically called him an arrogant ass. Just look at how much Mrs. Reynolds respects him, and how much his employees respect him. He has never been so amiable as when he was on New Year's Eve. That is a lie and you know it! Well, okay, maybe I have changed. Okay, well, yeah I changed. Maybe I have been a bit ridiculous for the past few months. Maybe I have been a little high strung. Maybe I have been a little childish._

"I see you found yourself a book." Mrs. Reynolds said from the doors, "Would you mind if I joined you? The house is a bit stuffy." Lizzie nodded, but did not dare to look up for fear that her guilt would be shown to this woman. She had the feeling that Mrs. Reynolds had become something of a mother to Will and Gigi after their mother had died. Because of this, Lizzie knew that Mrs. Reynolds would be extremely protective over them. Lizzie couldn't help but feel even worse after this revelation. _How would she react if she knew how much pain I had caused Will?_

"It seems the men are almost finished with their work." At this Lizzie looked up at Mrs. Reynolds. Mrs. Reynolds indicated toward the fields, and Lizzie turned her eyes and watched them riding back to the stables, "Will knows how to ride?"

"Oh yes. He's been riding since he was four or five years old. The poor boy knew how to ride a horse before he knew how to ride a bike!" Lizzie let out a laugh. "So Lizzie, tell me about yourself."

Lizzie blushed; she knew that this was essentially an interview from William's mother-figure, "Well I work as a nurse at a hospital in Seattle. I've been working in the Hematology-Oncology unit for two years now. I worked in the MICU for about four years after graduation."

"A nurse? Very impressive, Lizzie. Have you ever talked to Gigi? She's in her second semester of pre-nursing."

"Yes! I met her a few months ago! How is she? I haven't gotten the chance to meet with her lately."

"Oh you know how it is, she's stressed about grades as per usual. She'll be back tomorrow, though. After today, she'll be finished with exams. And just in time for her surprise, too."

"Surprise?"

"Follow me." Mrs. Reynolds was smiling and Lizzie stood up. The woman wove through a maze of hallways and made her way into one of the rooms Lizzie had been shown earlier. "Her brother knew how much she missed having her piano at school, so when she moved in with Will at his apartment, he moved the piano to his apartment. Now that they'll be here over the summer, Gigi would have been upset to be without a piano. Will upgraded and purchased her a new piano."

Lizzie's jaw went slack. _He bought his sister a piano only because he knew it would make Gigi happy_. _Who is this man?_ Lizzie's hand glided over the finished wood of the piano. It's dark brown wood beckoning to her. The shiny white and black keys that had never been pressed were calling her name like they had so many years before. _It's been so long since I've touched a piano._

Lizzie shook her head. _No, this is Gigi's piano. No one should play on it before her._ "Do you play piano, Lizzie?"

"I did for about fourteen years. I don't have a piano at home anymore, so I've not been able to practice consistently for about two years now." Lizzie sighed and removed herself from the beautiful piano. She needed to be away from the temptation that this piano was giving her.

"By all means, please try it out."

"Oh, no. I couldn't. I know this is for Gigi. I know that Will would want her to be the first to play on it."

"I insist. It has been sitting in this room untouched for almost three months. No one has played it. It may be out of tune; I'm sure William would like to know that before his sister comes home to play it."

Lizzie still wasn't sure, even after Mrs. Reynolds had given her so much encouragement. One look in the woman's eyes and she could see the conviction with which the words were said. Lizzie sat down and felt immediately at home in front of the keys. Beginning she started with just a warm up on the keys. Scales. Practicing scales was one of the things Lizzie hated the most about piano, so she quickly finished her scales and moved onto Fur Elise. She had memorized the movements during elementary school, and they had stuck with her ever since.

When she had finished, she turned around expecting Mrs. Reynolds to still be there, but she had disappeared. Lizzie turned back around to the piano. Before she could even register the song she would play next, her fingers were back on the keys. Pushing them in a soft, yet rapid succession. Halfway through the song, Lizzie heard the door squeak open, but she didn't dare stop; years of piano practice had taught her not to stop without a proper ending.

Lizzie quickly drew the piece to a close, before she turned around. Of course, who else would it be other than Will Darcy.

"Oh, I'm sorry. Mrs. Reynolds told me that I could play. I know it's for Gigi, I'm sorry I should have asked you first."

"Nonsense. I'm glad it's getting it's use." He paused and she noticed his neck flush red, "You're an amazing pianist and you sound beautiful."

"Thank you." Lizzie didn't know what else to say, so she began rambling, "You know, fourteen years of piano and you'd think I would be better. At least I got something out of those fourteen years, right?"

"Of course. Just don't let Gigi know. She'll make sure she teaches you all of her new pieces." He teased her. _Teased._

"And what if I wanted to learn them?" Her confidence was coming back to her and she felt as if she had gained her footing again.

She noticed he looked slightly taken aback at her tone at first, before realizing that she was actually teasing him, "She'll monopolize all of your time. There are other people here that want to spend time with you, Elizabeth, not just my little sister." Lizzie felt her face heat up.

"Anyway, how's the vineyard looking? Will it survive another day?"

"Yes, it will. Thanks to Matthew, he knew what to do as soon as the problem became apparent. I'm very grateful to the man." Lizzie noticed the sweat stains that were obvious from his hard work outside. He must have noticed them as well, because he then excused himself to "freshen up."

When he reappeared, he was cleanly dressed and it looked like he had shaved his face as well. "So, what other talents and hobbies have you not told me about?"

Lizzie shrugged, "I don't know. I don't have many. I grew up with a lot of hobbies that have since been forgotten. Welcome to the real world." Lizzie laughed a little sardonically.

"What about horse riding, guitar, croquet? Or do you just like to stick needles in anything that moves." It took Lizzie a few seconds to realize that he was teasing her again. _Who was this man?_

"Croquet?" She asked with an arched brow. Lizzie felt as if she was challenging him on this point. _Who plays croquet anymore? Oh, right, probably his Aunt Catherine._

"Oh, don't you know? It's all the rage with estates these days." He replied in a haughty tone of voice, throwing his nose into the air in a rather undignified way. Her laughs bubbled out from inside of her.

"Well, I used to ride. My grandparents owned a farm in Virginia. Before we moved to Seattle, they always had us over to ride. I loved riding Princess, she was my favorite horse. I begged my parents to let me start horseback riding, but we couldn't make the commitment because we moved. It's been a while since I've ridden a horse, though." Will stood up and held out his hand to her.

"Come on."

"Where are you going to take me?"

"I have a few horses. Gigi isn't home yet, so hers is very well rested. Come on."

She saw the stables ahead of them. The brick building looked like a miniature of the house in its structure. There was ivy growing on the side of the stables and it looked as if there were about three horses in at the moment.

He walked up to a stall with a beautiful Arabian. "This is Argo." He reached out and stroked the mare's black mane, but Apollo did not seem interested in his master. A few seconds after, Argo turned to look at her expectantly. Unsure of what else to do, Lizzie reached out her hand and stroked his mane. She could have _sworn_ she heard William Darcy mutter under his breath, "Attention stealer."

"He's my horse, but he seems to like you a lot." She could sense the bitterness in his voice.

"He's a very nice horse."

"Anyway," He seemed very stiff and unyielding, "Next is Bella. She was my mother's horse." Lizzie moved a few stalls down to see Bella, a grey appaloosa. Lizzie approached the beautiful horse and the horse whinnied appreciatively at the attention given to her. "She likes you."

"Is that surprising?"

"No. Well, yes. No one has been able to ride her since my mother. In general, Bella has been pretty quiet and out of use for the past four years. Whenever someone would try to take her out, she would refuse. She'd just sit back down in the stall, hoping that you'd leave her alone. For years, we've only been able to let her out in the pastures. My father's crew attempted to get him to put her down, but he refused. He loved Bella like she was my mom." He let out a small chuckle, "I'm glad Bella has someone she likes now." She looked up and saw Will Darcy staring at her. Lizzie felt slightly unnerved by his gaze, but quickly turned back to the horse, "Would you mind if I rode her?"

"Not at all, I'll get her saddle." Will reappeared in a few minutes carrying a large brown saddle, "Wait while I get Argo and Bella saddled up and we'll go for a ride." He sent her that dazzling smile that she had missed for the last few weeks.

She waited patiently as he saddled Bella first, then Argo. Lizzie led Bella outside and her horse did not move at all while waiting for Will to join them. When he had finally joined them, Bella whinnied once more and Lizzie hopped into the saddle. Then they were off, galloping through the vineyards, Lizzie following Will. Lizzie had never felt this amazing on a horse. Princess had been her favorite as a child, but never had she felt so connected with her horse. It was as if Bella knew what Lizzie's next move would be and anticipated it.

After what seemed like thirty minutes, she noticed that Will was slowing his pace down a bit. Bella followed suit in a change of pace. When they stopped, they were at the top of a hill. Will swung out of the saddle and she followed his example. He was leaning up against a tree, looking calm as ever. "I used to ride out here every morning before I moved to Seattle." She turned her eyes to the view and saw that in the distance was Pemberley. The grape vines surrounding the house were idyllic to the scene and lights ran along the vineyard, casting a soft glow on the vineyard. It was beautiful.

Lizzie felt calmer now than she had for the past year. Involuntarily, a smile formed on her face and she had never felt happier, calmer, or full of life. "It's beautiful."

"Thank you. Thank you for taking Bella out of her stall. Thank you for being here." He paused and took a deep breath, "I know you said that you would not be here if you had known that I was here, but I'm glad we were both here." She couldn't tell if he was just being nice. Lizzie knew she had hurt him so terribly when she had last seen him.

When Lizzie had last seen him, he was so uptight and she had been so annoyed with everything he had done _for her_. She hated herself. She had driven away the only man she had ever truly liked. Lizzie decided at that moment that she would never push him into knowing her feelings. She couldn't do it to him. She could never force him to like her again, that would ruin him completely.

Lizzie could feel the tears welling in her eyes, so she turned away from him and looked back at the view. She looked at her watch and he subconsciously did the same, "We'd better head back if you want to get food." It was just past six at night. The sun was just starting to set in the sky, giving it a beautiful orange, pink backdrop to the picturesque setting.

Lizzie swung herself into her saddle and they raced back to the stables. After brushing down their respective horses, they walked back to the house. She could tell the entire time that he was thinking because he said scarcely a few more than ten sentences to her. Lizzie didn't mind because she was still trying to absorb all that had occurred during the day.

On her way back to the house, Lizzie could hear the distinct barking of a dog. She saw William Darcy smile and shake his head, "That's Bernadette, she must have gotten away from Mrs. Reynolds." A few minutes later, Lizzie finally got the privilege of meeting Bernadette when she saw Lizzie and jumped on her.

"Oh, Lizzie! I am so sorry!" She heard Mrs. Reynolds say, but Lizzie didn't mind one bit. She pushed Bernadette off of her and scratched her ears. Bernadette's tail picked up in speed and started whacking the nearby planters. "Dinner's on the table, William." Lizzie looked up at him waiting for direction, then followed him into the kitchen. Bernadette followed Lizzie while Lizzie followed Darcy.

On the table was a bowl of spaghetti waiting to be eaten. She noticed her aunt and uncle were sitting at the table, already eating some of the pasta, "Oh, Lizzie! I'm so sorry that I was so tired. Little Gina has been keeping me awake with her nightmares for the past two weeks." Lizzie knew her aunt was attempting to discern the connection that Lizzie had with William Darcy, "What did you get up to while I was asleep?"

"I played some piano, read, and I was able to ride one of the horses." Her aunt was very grateful for William to let her use the piano and to ride, "I suspect that is where you will find Lizzie in the morning. When she was in Virginia, she would be in the stables every morning before going to breakfast. Her mother would get so upset because she couldn't find her." Lizzie blushed at the memory of her mother squawking at her from the window of her grandparent's house. Her mother had always been so easily unnerved by Lizzie's habits.

Later that night as Lizzie slept in her bed, her brain just wouldn't turn off. She looked at the clock, which read 12:04am. She groaned and forced her eyes closed again. Little did she know that William Darcy was having the same problem that she was having.

When Lizzie finally awoke in the morning, her clock read 7:49am. She groaned knowing that she wouldn't get more sleep after that point. Lizzie pulled herself out of bed and pulled on a pair of blue jeans and a flannel. When Lizzie got to the bottom step, she heard a squeal of delight, "Lizzie! What are you doing here?" She saw a flash of golden blonde hair and felt a pair of strong arms encircle Lizzie, "Gigi! I'm great, how are you?"

"Same old, same old. Will told me he had a surprise for me. Do you have anything to do with that?"

"Oh me? No! I'm not your surprise. If you want, I can take you to it." Gigi nodded and Lizzie told her, "It's in the room with navy blue paint." Gigi gasped and clung to Lizzie's hand.

When they reached the room, Gigi threw open the door and gasped in shock, "He got me a new piano! Will is the best of brothers! I love William so much! Isn't he just the best, Lizzie?"

Lizzie blushed, "I'm sure he is." She responded diplomatically. Much of the rest of the day was spent in the same fashion. Gigi would attempt to teach Lizzie a new duet, but it seemed that Lizzie's abilities fell easily behind those of Georgiana Darcy. Eventually, Gigi relented and allowed Lizzie to just listen.

Her aunt had gone into a nearby vineyard to visit with some friends, while her uncle was outside for the most of the day fishing. She did get the chance to see him briefly around noon when he stopped in for a bite to eat.

Mrs. Reynolds was one of the sweetest ladies she had ever met and helped make Pemberley feel like home. Lizzie never wanted to leave this beautiful place, but she knew her days at Pemberley were numbered. She knew that she really shouldn't even be at Pemberley, it was too tempting for her to show Will how much her feelings toward him had changed.

By four in the afternoon, Lizzie was feeling antsy and asked Gigi if she would mind letting her go for a ride, "You ride, too? You two _are_ perfect for each other!" Lizzie blushed. "Which horse do you ride?"

"Bella." Lizzie just couldn't get a break with either of the Darcy's. They both were making her blush so much that pink was becoming her normal facial color! "I'm sorry, did you say Bella? As in my mother's horse that no one could possibly ride for the past _four years_? Is that the Bella you're referring to?" Lizzie nodded in response.

Gigi began muttering unintelligibly under her breath and looked resigned to whatever fate had been dealt. "Go ahead." She finally said.

Lizzie walked out of the house, and was briefly assaulted by the saliva of Bernadette as she made her way toward the stables. She took no heed of the darkening sky above her, but did note that the air had cooled considerably. Lizzie didn't mind, though. She _really_ needed this ride. It would help her work through some of her thoughts. At the stables Lizzie had noticed Will Darcy's horse was out of his stall and wondered what area he was working on. _So I can avoid it, of course._

Lizzie saddled Bella and swung into the saddle.

Bella must have had her own ideas of where today's ride would take her, because as soon as she spurred Bella on, she found herself on one of the many paths accessible by horses. Lizzie had absolutely no idea where the path lead, but was happy to follow the horse's lead. It had to have been a pretty long path, because Lizzie was debating turning around and heading back, but then Bella began to slow and Lizzie realized that they were approaching a small lake.

Off to the side of the lake rested a swinging bench under a beautiful tree. Lizzie let go of Bella's reigns so that she could graze, while Lizzie went to lounge on the bench. Everything was so overwhelming for her. _First, William Darcy is completely different. He teased me! Well, to be honest, I've changed so much that I can't believe I didn't see how amazing of a man William Darcy is. He didn't even shun me when I showed up unexpectedly, which I feel as though he should have done. Secondly, he keeps complimented me on my awful piano playing. I know he's heard better; Gigi is his sister after all. Next, he got annoyed with his horse for showing attention to me, which makes absolutely no sense._

 _William Darcy is such a complex man. For him not to hate me right now is a miracle. After all the pain and hatred I've dealt him, I'm surprised he can stand to be in the same room as me._

 _But he's so kind and gentle. Like Gigi said, "He's the best," of men, that is. Not brother, that would just be weird for me to think. Although, I can't deny, he is an amazing brother. What brother just thinks, "Oh, I think I'll buy my sister a new Baby Grand Piano because she wants one!" It's unheard of!_

Lizzie shivered as the wind picked up some water off of the lake and splattered it against her already cool skin. The rustling of the trees was becoming deafening, and Lizzie knew it was time to head back in; she did _not_ want to be caught in the middle of a storm. Lizzie swung back into her saddle just as she saw another horse appear on the opposite edge of the field. The horse was black. It was likely Argo and Darcy heading towards her. She spurred Bella back into a gallop to meet Will half way.

"Elizabeth," He swung out of his saddle. Half of her mind thought he was going to hug her, the other half argued that that was a stupid thought. Just as her mind argued that it was a stupid thought, he reached out and wrapped his arms around her. Lizzie had never felt so happy in her life. His warmth felt like a new beginning, although she knew it wasn't. Lizzie knew it was because she was shivering and cold. She knew it was to warm her up, but that didn't stop her from liking it.

After a few more seconds Darcy let go of her, "Gigi informed me that you were out for a ride and had left almost an hour ago. Are you alright?"

"I'm perfect, thank you. I had no idea how far away from the house I was. I'm sorry."

"What were you doing out here? It's mostly just grassland."

"Bella led the way. She brought me over there. Honestly, you probably think I'm stupid for thinking that a horse had a mind of her own and brought me out here." Lizzie gestured toward the swinging bench that was well behind her now. _He probably doesn't even know what I'm point to._

"We should head back in, before the storm starts."

When they arrived back at the house, her aunt and uncle were waiting outside for her, "Lizzie, are you alright? You were gone for so long!"

"I'm fine, thank you."

"William, thank you again for checking up on her."

"It's the least I could have done. It didn't take too long to check all the other spots off from my list." Lizzie felt immediately guilty. She had him _searching_ for her because of her own stupidity.

When Lizzie made it to the top step, she was waiting for Bernadette's assault, but it didn't come. Instead the dog just followed her happily back into the kitchen for their dinner.

Over dinner Lizzie noticed that her aunt and uncle were in deep conversation and not paying attention to Will or her. Will leaned over, "By the way, I don't think you're stupid for saying that Bella brought you out to the lake." He paused to take a sip of wine. "My mother often rode out there. It was one of her favorite places to ride to. My father had the swinging bench built for her, so that she would stop sitting on the ground and ruining her pants."

"Was she being too impertinent by ruining her pants?" _Oh my gosh, did I really just say that? I'm an idiot._

"My father may have said that on occasion, but he always told her that's what he loved most about her."

"I'm sorry-"

"Elizabeth, it's okay. You weren't trying to be rude, and it was true. Did my father tell you that?" Now Lizzie blushed again and nodded.

"I'm not trying to embarrass you, but I learned a lot about your family from your father."

"Oh yeah, how much damage control will I have to do?"

"Oh I don't know. It depends on how many people you want to know about the frog in your pants scheme of 1993 and 1996." Lizzie said with a tight-lipped smile and a feeling of pure silliness running through her body.

"You wouldn't." He responded seriously. His voice had lowered a full pitch and he was leaned into her.

"Want to bet on that?" Lizzie challenged back. Her head was held high and she arched a brow a statement of her challenge.

"I don't bet if I know I'm going to lose." He teased back. "That was a classic, though."

"What was?" Gigi asked.

"Care to make a guess, Gigi? It's one of his ill-fated pranks that he pulled with his cousin."

"Oh my gosh, this wasn't the frog in your pants scheme was it, Will?" Will turned bright red, "Oh my gosh, it was? Lizzie how do you know about that?"

Following dinner, Will offered to show Lizzie, her aunt and uncle his personal cellar. Her aunt and uncle were happy to agree.

When they entered the cellar, he turned to her, "What would you like to taste?"

"Please, you're talking to the Zinfandel queen. I have no taste in fancy wines."

"So something sweet?" In this tight of a room, Lizzie could smell his cologne. _He smells so nice. I've always liked a man that can smell nice._ _Shut up, brain._

"Give me a moment." He turned and began searching a particular shelf, "Here we are. Chardonnay, Domaine Ramonet Montrachet Grand Cru from 1999. It has some hints of lemon and other citrus flavors."

"Sounds good to me. You're the vineyard owner, I don't know anything." Just as he began to pour four glasses of the chardonnay, Lizzie felt her phone buzz in her back pocket.

"Do you mind if I take it? It's Jane."

"Please do."

"Lizzie! Where have you been? I've been trying to call you for the past two hours!" Jane _never_ sounded this panicked.

"It's bad reception out here. What happened, Jane?"

"It's Lydia. She overdosed on something. Lizzie, I'm so scared. They brought her into the hospital and I thought she was going to die. They just kept pushing all of these drugs and Lizzie I thought she was dead. They coded her for at least ten minutes!" Lizzie's stomach plummeted just at the image of her sister lying in a hospital bed, pale and dead. Lizzie's head was spinning and she felt sick to her stomach.

"What happened?"

"Her and Kat were at a party with George Wickham. Supposedly, he's gotten desperate enough that he started selling Lydia drugs." If Lizzie thought it couldn't get worse, she was wrong because it just did.

"What did the tox screen show?"

"They just ran one and they think it was heroin, Lizzie." Lizzie's head automatically began to ache.

"Alright, I'm leaving right now. I'll see you as soon as possible, Jane." Lizzie hung up the phone and stood there without moving.

"Elizabeth, are you alright?"

"I need to go, I'm sorry. Thank you for everything." Lizzie started pacing back and forth thinking what she needed to pack.

"What happened?" When Lizzie didn't respond the first time or the second time, he reached out and turned her to face him, "Elizabeth, what happened?"

"Lydia overdosed on heroin because George Wickham was dealing it to her!" Lizzie wiped the tears from her eyes and pushed her hair out of her face, "I could have _stopped this_. I could have told my family the type of man he was, but I didn't. I was so selfish."

"You aren't selfish, Lizzie."

"Really? Because of my selfishness I put my sixteen-year-old sister in the _intensive care unit_ for a heroin overdose! I told no one about how horrible George Wickham was to me! I never once told them about the debts or the hitting! What kind of person doesn't tell their family about that kind of stuff?"

"Elizabeth Bennet, you are not selfish. What do you need me to do?"

"Nothing, I can do it myself. I have to pack and get on an airplane. I have to go." For some reason, that's what really struck her. The fact that she would have to leave Pemberley; leave Will Darcy. She didn't want to leave, she _loved_ this man.

"I'll get you a flight and I'll send you your luggage. I believe your car is parked on the property?"

"Yes, I'll get my aunt and uncle and we'll leave." She looked up at him, "Thank you for everything, Will." He only nodded back at her as acknowledgement of her sentiments. Lizzie suddenly felt very cold.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Sorry it took me so long to get this one out. It was actually pretty difficult to write. Let me know what you think in the reviews! Disclaimer: I own nothing!**

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After getting off the plane, Lizzie hurried to the ICU at St. Joe's. When she came bursting through the doors Jane was standing, waiting for her at the Nurse's Station. "Lizzie." Jane held her arms out and she practically fell into Jane's comforting arms.

The entire flight Lizzie had steadily grown more tense. Her back and shoulders ached from stress and her legs were threatening to fall out from beneath her. She had fought herself the entire flight not to cry because she was in public. Now in the waiting arms of Jane, Lizzie felt tears rolling down her cheeks and she was grasping for air that didn't seem to come. "What happened?"

"Lydia and Kat were at a party with George Wickham. They'd been seeing him since August when you two broke up. Kat called the ambulance and the police on George, but they couldn't catch him. Lydia got brought to the hospital and Kat went down to the police station. She's still there right now."

Lizzie nodded. "Can I see her?" Jane took her hands and led her to the room. Lydia was hooked up to so many tubes. There were IVs, catheters, oxygen tubes, NG tubes, and so many others that Lizzie didn't even know where to start.

Lizzie surveyed her baby sister. There were deep black and blue circles under her eyes and her face looked hollow. Her cheekbones were visible and her face was no longer rounded like it had been throughout her youth. Her arms were covered in bruises. Some were on the verge of turning yellow, others were still slightly green and blue. Still others were freshly blue and purple.

"They had a difficult time starting the IV at first." Lizzie's mouth went dry.

"I could've stopped this from happening." Lizzie whispered.

"Lizzie…" Jane admonished, "You had no idea she was buying drugs."

"Jane, I could have stopped this from happening. If I had told someone the type of person that George Wickham is, she wouldn't be here in this hospital bed. But I kept it to myself because I'm a selfish person. I could've stopped this." A fresh wave of tears poured down her cheeks as she was met with Lydia's appearance. All that could be done now was to wait. Wait and hope that everything would turn out alright.

Because of some twisted sense of duty, she felt it was her responsibility to stay with her sister. Even if the nurse's tried to coax her away for a few minutes, Lizzie refused to leave her sister's side for the entire night. She had sent Jane home around seven o'clock. Lizzie still wasn't sure where her parents were, but she knew that wherever they were it was important for them to be there.

When the nurse came into round on Lydia, she tried to make small talk with her, "Hi, my name is Julia, I'll be taking care of your sister until seven this morning. How are you?"

"Fine." Lizzie was intent on not making conversation. As any nurse would know, it would have been better in this situation to talk rather than deflect conversation.

"Your sister's a strong girl." This caught Lizzie's interest. Lizzie looked at Julia as if begging for more information, "We thought we were going to lose her for ten minutes. Every time we would code her, she'd come back for a few minutes more each time. After the second shock, her heart went back into more rhythms. She's a fighter."

As a nurse, Lizzie coveted this information. This is what she had longed to hear from Jane earlier. She needed details, Lizzie wanted to relive what had happened here in this ICU room. Lizzie wanted to know everything that had happened.

"A few hours after she returned to stable condition she woke up for a few minutes. She was disoriented and fighting us. She didn't know where she was and was asking for a man named George. She kept saying that he would never hurt her. It hurt to watch. She tried to pull her IV out, but we stopped her. I've never seen someone more afraid than she was. Your sister's just scared right now. She's lucky to have you sitting here with her."

"Thank you." Lizzie told her through a watery smile.

The next afternoon when her father returned with her other sister, Katherine, more questions were answered. Jane decided to stay with her mother and Lydia to calm her mother's nerves.

"Kat, are you okay? What happened?" Lizzie asked once she got a free second alone with her younger sister outside.

"We were at a party; Lydia had been doing that a lot for the past three months or so. It wasn't a high school party and it wasn't in a great area of town. I told her we shouldn't go, but Lydia didn't listen. I went with her and Laura to make sure she was safe. We got separated by George Wickham almost as soon as we entered the house." Kat started sobbing. "I was drinking a bit because Laura had the keys to the car. The next thing I know is Lydia is on the floor with needles next to her. I tried to shake her awake, but she wasn't responding so I checked her pulse like you taught me and I barely felt anything, Lizzie. I was so scared. I went and found Laura, but she had been drinking so we couldn't drive.

"George Wickham walks in and sees Lydia lying on the ground and laughs at her. _He laughed at her._ He was making jabs at her and calling her names and calling you names. That's when I decided to call the police. _I called the freaking police on my sister, Lizzie_. I don't know why I did it, but I just felt like that was my last option because no one was doing anything to help her. Of course when the police sirens got close enough, everyone ditched. I tried to get George to stay and help me carry Lydia upstairs but all he had to say was, 'Sorry, that's not my job. I'm glad to be rid of Lydia Bennet.' He got away before they could search the house and find him. The police and EMS raided the house and I brought them to Lydia. I thought she was dead. She was so pale and her lips were turning blue. They kept asking all of these questions about what happened and what she had taken and how much she had taken. They wanted to know who she got it from. Everything.

"Then she was lifted onto that gurney and they kept shocking her and giving her ventilations. The police had to literally drag me away from Lydia. I didn't want to leave her like that. They held me for questioning until this morning. I called dad with the phone at the station and told him everything, so their first stop was seeing Lydia then they came to see me. Last night was the worst night of my life because I didn't know how Lydia was doing and all I knew was this lawyer named Richard Fitzwilliam and his cousin were there. They couldn't tell me anything on Lydia because they hadn't heard anything. They kept saying that you were the one to contact them, but you didn't, did you?"

"No, I wasn't. I was in California until later last night.

"They said that I wasn't in trouble, but they wanted to help me lock George Wickham up, which I was only too happy to help with. I told them everything because I had nothing to lose. When the police came in they told me I had done nothing wrong besides drink underage, but because of the situation and everything they were going to let me off the hook as long as I led them to George Wickham being in jail. I'm so sorry, Lizzie. I'm so sorry." Kat felt her sister pull her into her arms and Kat continued to sob into her shoulder.

"You did the right thing, Kat. I can't imagine how hard it was to even call the police and an ambulance for your sister. I'm proud of you for doing that. I'm not sure what mom and dad have talked with you about yet, so I feel like I need to give you a little bit of discipline. Alright?" Kat nodded.

"I know that drinking in high school is extremely common, but you have to understand that that wasn't a safe situation to drink in. You said that Laura was your DD, which was a smart idea to plan, but did you trust her not to drink?"

"No, I figured she would be fine to drive because she just wouldn't drink that much."

Lizzie nodded, "I went to school with her older sister, Cate Younge; Cate was the same way. You really have to think before you go out with people like that, Kat. You have to use your brain a little bit. I realize that you thought she would be okay to drive home, but please _never ever_ get in a car if someone has been drinking. You could die, Kat. I don't ever want to get a call from Jane or mom and dad saying that you were in a car crash because of drunk driving. We couldn't lose you like that."

Kat gave her a trembling smile and nodded back to Lizzie. She reached out and Lizzie wrapped her arms around her little sister. Lizzie never wanted to let go of her, but eventually released Kat. "Would you like to see your sister?"

When Lizzie had returned with Kat to Lydia's room, Lydia was shouting and screaming at everyone in the vicinity.

Everyone except for her parents exited the room. Lizzie turned to the lawyer, Richard Fitzwilliam and introduced herself, "Thank you for everything you're doing. I'm Lizzie Bennet and if my parents haven't thanked you before, please allow me to tell you just how grateful we all are to you."

"Anytime, Lizzie. But to be honest, you can thank my cousin for making the case pro bono."

"I'm sorry, I don't think I know your cousin. There must have been a mistake."

"I'm sure you do. His name is-" Just then his phone went off and he sighed, "Sorry, I have to take this. Again, it was nice meeting you, Lizzie Bennet. I'm sure we'll be seeing each other again."

Over the next few days, Lizzie went back to work again, but nothing was the same. Breaks were spent on her phone discussing options for rehabilitation or calming her mother when Lydia went into withdrawal. The one thing she really missed were her morning coffee moments with Will Darcy. Sure, Richard stopped by every once in a while to give her some hospital coffee, but he was no Will Darcy. Plus, it was hospital coffee, not the good stuff.

Lizzie had found herself thinking more of William Darcy lately. She wanted to reach out and talk with him. She wanted to call him. She missed him. Lizzie wanted him to walk around that corner by the Nurse's Station carrying two cups of coffee, one for him, the other for her. She wanted him to tease her and talk her into lunch. Lizzie wanted for him to be present in her life again.

She had gotten to know him so well at the vineyard. Lizzie felt aching when she realized that there had to be a reason why he wasn't calling her. _I messed up; if I had accepted him for the guy he was back in January, I wouldn't be here right now_.

At one point, the day before Lydia's discharge, Lizzie could have _sworn_ she saw William Darcy's black curly hair, but it wasn't him. She had called out his name, but he hadn't responded. He had turned away from her too quickly to see the details that she had come to associate with William Darcy. She had _sworn_ she'd seen Gigi Darcy just the day before. _I'm going crazy. I need to stop thinking about him. I should be focused on my family, not some guy._

Charlotte had noticed Lizzie's changes earlier this week. "Lizzie, you're thinking about him again, aren't you?" She placed a Starbucks cup on her desk. _Black coffee, one French Vanilla Creamer and a single packet of sugar, just what I needed._

Lizzie just nodded her head. "How could you tell?"

"You get this angsty look on your face and act all emotional. It's like that time in middle school when you liked my brother and I told you to leave him alone. Except it's so much worse."

"I'm sorry Charlotte. I know I'm acting stupid. It's just he was such an amazing guy."

"You're mooning again." Lizzie sighed and looked back at her charts.

As much as Lizzie had tried to keep her home life at home, patients and families were beginning to notice that Lizzie was not the same Lizzie that they had known three weeks ago. They had noticed the melancholy looks that passed through her eyes and the sighs that always escaped when she was working with her charts. She wasn't as happy or enthusiastic as she had been at one point.

On her sixth day back at work Richard Fitzwilliam dropped by with coffee. This time it was nicer. It was from the Starbucks down the street. So it wasn't awful, but he got her a Caramel Macchiato. Lizzie took a mouthful before regretting her decisions. College Lizzie would have swooned to have gotten a Caramel Macchiato, but Nurse Lizzie was not swooning for this coffee. The sugar would hit her brain in a few minutes, making her hands shake and she would be unable to write or use her hands in any way.

Instead of telling him this, she brought up her sister's pro bono case again, "You said once that I should thank your cousin, but I don't think I know your cousin."

"Oh, Will, he's the best. He works downtown as an accountant. He said it was a favor."

Immediately, Lizzie's attention was peaked, "Will Darcy? Your cousin is William Darcy?"

"Yeah! You know him?" _What else could he possibly be doing for my family?_

Lizzie couldn't help but blush at this. Of course she knew Will Darcy. He was the best of men. "Yeah, I do. I haven't seen him in a while, so if you see him, can you tell him thank you for me?"

Richard looked slightly taken aback at this, but it was the least Lizzie could do for Will. He probably never wanted to see her again and she would honor that wish if that's what he wanted from her.

Just a few weeks later on April 4th, Lizzie found herself celebrating her birthday with her family. Her Aunt Maddie and Uncle Ed had decided to come down from Portsmouth to join in the celebration. Lydia had been let out of rehabilitation just a few days before, but would be returning the next morning.

"Lizzie, can I talk with you in my office?" Her father asked. Lizzie turned and saw her father looking exhausted, but nodded toward his office. When she had finally taken a seat in one of the chairs beside her father's desk, her father asked, "How do you know George Wickham? Jane said something about you knowing him."

Lizzie blushed. Maybe, she should have told her parents that she had dated him before. Because Lizzie had been in her rebellious phase, she had thought she was mature. How wrong she was on that.

"Well, you see," Lizzie felt like she was sweating, "I dated him for a few months last year. I found out he was stealing my credit card information and when I confronted him, he smacked me. I threatened to call the cops on him and that's the last I ever saw of him." She felt like it was best to leave out the fact that she saw him on New Year's Eve.

"Why didn't you tell us?"

"Because I was embarrassed that he could wrack up $50,000 of debt on my cards, ruin my credit, hit me, and still be just as charming as before. I fell for his stupid charm and deception. I was ashamed of myself."

Her looked at her, "You're not the only one that's been fooled by Wickham's charm." Her father pushed forward a manila envelope full of papers. When Lizzie opened the folder, she was confronted with a multitude of police reports of sexual assault, drug possessions, harassment, and so many more. Lizzie's eyes widened in surprise. "How did you get this?"

"It's part of the case. They're trying to bring Wickham in for assault and drug possession." Her father took a deep breath. "Did you know about any of this, Liz?"

Lizzie felt her heart begin to race. She was so ashamed of her relationship with George Wickham, "I didn't know about any of that." She looked down in guilt, "He stole my credit card information, though. He got about $50,000 in debt. That's why I was working so much this past year. I paid the debt off with my last paycheck." Her father stood and wrapped his arms around her.

"I'm so sorry. I should have been there for you. I should've been a better father." Lizzie's eyes glazed over in tears. Her father was a good man. Maybe not the best father, but he was present. He had a tendency to poke fun at the silliness of his youngest daughters. He found fools to be the best form of entertainment. In general, though, he was a good man. No one saw these events coming.

Lizzie told him just that, "You had no idea that this was going to happen. George Wickham is to blame."

"I should have done more to protect my daughters. It's one of the burdens that I will take to my grave. I will work from now on to be a better father to my daughters. That includes you, Lizzie." She understood his meaning. He was going to try to be more involved in her life, not just around the holidays or birthdays.

There was a long pause while Lizzie worked up the courage to ask her father about William Darcy. In the end her father asked the very question that Lizzie had been thinking, "Have you ever met William Darcy?"

Her face turned red and a small smile formed on her lips, "Yes, I have."

"He's been such an amazing man for our family. I appreciate him taking care of my family while I was too busy with my own entertainment. Please tell him thank you if you see him again."

Lizzie paused. These were the questions she wanted answers. "What did he do for us, dad?" Although she knew that he had somehow convinced his cousin to work on the law suit for free, Lizzie wondered what else he could have been responsible for.

Her father met her eyes, "He took care of Lydia's hospital bills, the drug possession charges, the lawyer, the rehabilitation center, and the counseling. He was very firm in paying for the bills. I attempted to get him to elaborate on his reasons, but he refused to give me a straight answer. Mr. Darcy pulled a few strings to get Lydia out for the day for your birthday."

"I'll tell him thank you if I see him again."

Lizzie walked back into the living room and was greeted by the smell of burning candles on a birthday cake. The singing was just as boisterous as it always was in the Bennet household. Cheers of cha-cha-cha's rang out in chorus and the ending drawn out to become almost obnoxious was everything that Lizzie needed in her life right then. It was as if nothing had changed, nothing had happened in the past months. She took a deep breath before thinking of her wish and blowing the candles out.

Lydia immediately claimed the largest piece, as was tradition in their family. Lizzie was glad to see Lydia returning to her old self; she was becoming more boisterous, but still controlled. The events had changed her in some ways for the better, in other ways for the worse. At times, Lizzie was sure that her sister was still despairing about her life, but at other times she could see the hope in her eyes.

As they ate, Kat talked about nothing in particular. Lizzie wasn't paying much attention until she heard, "Hey, Lydia, remember when Gigi Darcy laughed so hard water came out her nose and eyes?"

Lizzie quickly cut into the conversation. "Wait, how do you know Gigi Darcy?"

"She came and visited me in the hospital every day after school." Lydia supplied.

"Darcy would always drop her off then pick her back up around 7:30." Kat added. Lydia turned a glare on her sister and let out an angry sigh. "Kat! We were supposed to say anything about Darcy being there!"

Lizzie head was spinning, "Excuse me, so Darcy and Gigi hung out with you while you were at the hospital?"

"Well, yeah-"

"Were they there the night before you got discharged?"

"Well, yeah. Darcy seemed a little more relaxed that night so they stayed a little later, maybe 8 o'clock. He let Gigi stay with us while he went and finished up work in the cafeteria."

Lizzie felt almost sick with the news. Darcy had been in the hospital, but he'd avoided her like the plague. Lizzie didn't need anymore clues to know what he was doing. He didn't want her influence on Gigi anymore. Will had successfully found a way to avoid and keep Lizzie out of his life forever. Still, though, Lizzie couldn't stop feeling grateful for all that he'd done for her family.

"Lizzie," Her Aunt Maddie started, "Isn't William Darcy the man we met at Pemberley?"

"Yes, he is." Lizzie replied stiffly.

"You didn't tell me that he worked in Seattle, too!"

"I'm sorry it never really crossed my mind." Her aunt gave her a knowing look before continuing just a little softer to keep the prying from her mother to a minimum.

"I had thought that when we left, you'd never see him again."

"I think that might be what he wants."

"Nonsense." She paused, "Lizzie, it was so hard not to see how much he loves-"

"That's ridiculous because if he wanted to see me, all he had to do was maybe pop in and say hello when he was at the hospital."

"Maybe he doesn't want to intrude on you. He's very close with his sister, Georgiana. He's a family man; he may not want to push things with you because he knows you need to be with your family right now. Please, just reach out to him."

That night, after everyone had gone to sleep, Lizzie lay in her bed contemplating whether or not she should call him. Every fiber in her body was telling her yes, call him, but her fears were holding her back. Without letting the fears hold her back anymore, she called him. It rang for what must have been fifteen seconds, but it felt like an eternity. Finally, she heard his voice. It was clear and strong, but it wasn't him. It was his voicemail.

" _Hello, this is Will Darcy. Please leave your name and message after the beep."_ A long beep followed and Lizzie's silence permeated the line.

After a few seconds of silence, Lizzie finally gained the use of her words again and said, "Hi, it's me, Lizzie. I'm sorry for calling so late, I know you're probably really busy. I haven't heard from you in a while and I was-" Lizzie wasn't sure what to say next and an awkward silence again filled his voicemail. "I was calling to check up on you and Gigi. I hope everything's okay. Sorry, bye." She ended the call quickly. Her heart was pounding and her hands were shaking. Her mind was berating her for everything she could have said instead.

For the next few days, Lizzie waited anxiously for him to call her back. She wanted him to call her back. How much she wanted to hear him talk to her and say that they were friends. _I could live with just being friends. It's better than never seeing each other again._

On the fourth day, Lizzie had _had_ it with her pining over a phone call. She left her phone in her car throughout work. She felt angry and despaired over the fact that she would likely not be getting call from him ever. The anger was easiest to deal with, but the feeling of desperation was gnawing at her every time she thought about him. Charlotte had tried several times throughout the day to make her smile. Eventually, Charlotte stood leaning against her charting computer and gave her _that_ look. The one that said, "cut the crap."

"Elizabeth Bennet, what is going _on_ with you today? I've never seen you like this."

"I'd rather not talk about it right now. I'm at work and I keep my work life and my personal life separate."

"Fine. I'll just come over after work and we'll have a girl's night. Then you call tell me all the juicy details."

"I'll order the pizza." Lizzie said with a small smile.

When Lizzie got back to her apartment later that evening, Jane already had blankets piled up on the couch and chick flicks littering the coffee table. Pizza was steaming on the table and Lizzie knew that there were probably a few ice cream containers in the freezer. "Charlotte called. It's another girl's night."

Lizzie went to change and threw her phone onto her dresser. She had turned it off when she'd gotten out of work. Lizzie didn't want to even acknowledge that she'd ever called him. When she came back into the kitchen, she saw Charlotte and Jane whispering to each other with concern. They noticed her presence and immediately stopped talking. She felt tears brimming her eyes and suddenly they were cascading down her cheeks. She'd been strong for so long that it had been physically painful to hold it in any longer.

Lizzie was embarrassed by her emotional outburst. She prided herself on not showing too much emotion. After a few minutes had passed, the only evidence of her outburst were her red rimmed eyes and tear streaked face. Jane brought her a slice of pizza and asked her what had happened.

"I saw him when I went to Napa Valley with Aunt Maddie and Uncle Ed. He was amazing. He was so kind and carefree. Then I got your call and everything changed. He became distant and I think he wanted me gone. He hates George Wickham and he has every right to hate him. I think he doesn't want to associate with me anymore."

Jane wrapped her arms around Lizzie's shoulder and let her cry some more. Charlotte, always trying to be the voice of reason, responded, "Lizzie, he's probably busy. Maybe you should try to reach out to him. I'm sure that would-"

"I did four days ago!" She replied indignantly.

"And…" Charlotte prompted.

"He hasn't called me back."

"Oh." Charlotte responded flatly.

Jane chimed in a few seconds later, "Maybe he's out of the country and can't get calls. Maybe he lost his phone and had to change his number. Maybe he lost all of his contacts so he can't call you back."

"Jane, you always see everything good. I'm just being realistic. He probably doesn't want to see me ever again."

"Lizzie!" Charlotte admonished, "He was head over heels in love with you! I could tell just from the times he brought you coffee."

"That was before I called him a proud, arrogant man."

"But what about Pemberley?"

"Maybe I was seeing what I wanted to see. Maybe he was glad when I left." Lizzie took a deep breath, "Listen, I really don't want to talk about this anymore. I know you're just trying to get my hopes up, but I'll be fine."

Jane and Charlotte nodded their heads and obeyed her wish.

It was around midnight when they were all sleeping that a phone began to ring. Jane raised her head and turned to the sound. Her phone was lit up with a caller: Charlie. Concern filled her mind as she answered the phone, "Charlie? What's wrong? Are you okay?" The other end of the phone was quiet.

"Jane, what's wrong?" Lizzie asked from the couch. Jane looked at Lizzie. Her eyebrows were knit together in concern. When the call finally ended she looked at Lizzie. "Where's your phone?"

"In my room. I turned it off earlier today."

"Go turn it on, please."

Lizzie did as Jane said and turned her phone on. After a few minutes, messages began bombarding her phone. All that mattered to her was the one missed call and one voice message. Lizzie opened her phone quickly and saw the name she had wanted to see for the past four days: William Darcy. He'd finally called her back.

Lizzie sat down on her bed and let the message play.

"Elizabeth, it's me, Will. I'm so sorry for not responding sooner. I was at Pemberley. You know the reception out there isn't the best. My phone died and there were so many problems with the vineyard that I hadn't even bothered to look at my phone until I got back to Seattle. Give me a call back when you get this message, please." The first message ended. He'd called her about three hours ago.

She knew she should call him back immediately, but she wanted to sleep on what he'd said. She wanted to see how she felt in the morning. Right now, she'd felt so many emotions. She didn't want to be swept into another storm of feelings right now. Lizzie flipped to her alarms and switched on her work alarm. It would be an early day tomorrow, but it would give her time to think over everything.

Work the next day wasn't awful. It was a lot better than it had been in the past. She felt more like her old self and that she could get through the day without being an angsty teenager.

When she finally left the hospital around 7:15 that night, she was walking to her car when she saw someone leaned up against her car. It was an older woman with white hair piled into a strict bun. _Aunt Cathy_. _What is his aunt doing by my car?_

"Miss Bennet. I would like a word with you." Her voice was harsh and demanding. Lizzie fought the urge to roll her eyes.

"What can I do for you Mrs. De Bourgh?"

"Surely you know why I'm here."

"Obviously not." Lizzie sighed, "Listen, I just got finished with my second twelve hour shift in a row. If you could tell me why you're here, I'd really appreciate it."

"I'm here because of my nephew. He's been spending so much money on your family. Trying to hide a scandal, I presume. Georgiana has let slip that he's 'in love,' with a certain girl. It is entirely unsuitable that he be, 'in love,' with you. I had thought him smarter than that. Darcy knows his duty to his family. He must marry privileged girls from the same upbringing as him. I've come to clarify what Georgiana was saying. It seems as though I was right. He could never love a girl like yourself. You _work_!

"Then why are you here? If you say yourself that there's no way your nephew could love me, why are you still here insulting me?"

"Because I like to be thorough, Miss Bennet. Now tell me that you are not in a relationship with William Darcy."

"I am not in a relationship with Will Darcy."

"Promise that you will never enter a relationship with William Darcy."

"I can't, Mrs. De Bourgh."

"You impertinent girl! How dare you! He deserves better than the likes of you! He deserves a girl with a better upbringing, with better connections. You know that, you just like to manipulate people around you. Now promise me to never have a relationship with William Darcy!"

"I can't and I won't. Goodbye." Lizzie hopped into her car and quickly threw the car into reverse. De Bourgh stood watching her leave with a glare.

The day had been exhausting for Lizzie. She just wanted to curl up and sleep until her shift two days from now. Instead, she felt awake again because of Mrs. De Bourgh. When Lizzie got home and warmed up some leftovers Jane had made and pulled out the book that she was in just beginning. The words didn't seem to make any sense. Her mind wasn't looking at the words with any clue of what they were trying to say.

Eventually she set the book back on the table and just thought. She laughed at the humor of her conversation with Catherine De Bourgh. Everything she said was insulting to Lizzie. The thought that she could just demand that she never date her nephew was ridiculous.

Lizzie pulled her phone out of her sweatpants and listened again to the message. Lizzie was about to call him back when there was a knock on her door. She got up from the nest she'd made on the couch and looked through the peep hole. _William Darcy_ _was outside._ She shook her head slightly and looked again. It was him.

She quickly slid the deadbolt aside and opened the door, "Darcy, what are you doing here?"

He was silent for a few seconds before he let out a large, defeated sigh. "You never called me back, I was worried."

Lizzie was taken aback by his words. "I was at work. I needed time to think about what to say. I'm sorry for worrying you." Lizzie got the feeling that this was going to be a _long_ conversation. She stepped to the side of the door, "Would you like to come in?"

"Yes, I'd like that."

Lizzie busied herself with anything she could find, then asked him, "Would you like anything to drink? Tea? Water?"

"No, I'm fine. Thank you." He sank down into the cushions on the couch as she went to clear her mess away.

"I'm sorry if this sounds rude, but why are you here? Actually, how'd you find out my address?"

His face blushed a shade of red that she'd never seen on him before. He cleared his throat and responded, "Like I said I was worried about you. I asked Jane."

"You asked Jane? Jane's on a date with Charlie, though. I'm sorry, I know this is weird, but can you start from the beginning of everything?"

"Of course. I got your call on Tuesday night when I got back into Seattle. I hadn't had my phone with me when I was in the vineyard. I was busy working with Matt for most of the trip. We're attempting to build a new storage facility. The one Pemberley has now is becoming too full and I'd rather have more space. Anyway, that's irrelevant. My phone had died because I wasn't really looking at it or for it. When I'd finally plugged my phone in, it took a bit, but finally it came up with all of the messages. I saw yours and I called you back as soon as I'd finished listening to it. When I was sent straight to voicemail, I assumed you were angry with me for taking so long to return your call that you refused my call. I can't blame you for feeling that way, but I needed you to at least listen to my message. I called Charlie and asked him if I could use his phone to call Jane. He agreed, although he was a little concerned as to why I wanted to call his girlfriend. When Jane picked up I asked her if you had your phone and she said no, you'd been having a girl's night and you hadn't had your phone since you got home around 8 o'clock. She said she'd have you check your phone and I felt extremely grateful for her intervention. I knew you'd at least listen to my message."

"Like I said, I did listen to your message. You don't understand…" Lizzie trailed off. She wasn't sure if she was ready to share with him why she hadn't answered his call.

"Then help me understand. Are you angry with me?"

"No! I could never be angry with you. Actually, I'm extremely grateful to you."

"Grateful? For what?"

"You paid my sister's hospital bills, EMS bill, rehabilitation, get her out when she needs to come home for a day, getting your cousin to take on the case for free, and who knows what else!" When he didn't respond, Lizzie finally felt her confidence swell.

"I didn't call you back because I'd had a bad few days. I wasn't mad, I was upset. Not with you, I was mad at myself. You're an amazing guy, Will, and I'd been nothing but rude to you since New Year's Eve. I'd felt a lot of things those four days, and I really didn't want to feel anything else that night. I wanted to sleep and not worry about emotions for the first time in months." Lizzie let out a small laugh, "Then your aunt decided to visit me after work today. She's an absolute joy, you know?" Lizzie told him bitterly.

"She visited you too?"

"What do you mean 'too?'"

"I'll explain in a few minutes. Would you like me to continue explaining everything?" She nodded. "Charlie stopped into my office today and we talked. He said he was going out with Jane in about thirty minutes and that she was meeting him at the office. He wanted my opinion on something and we sat talking for probably a half an hour. I saw Jane walk by my office, heading toward Charlie's and I stopped her. She asked if you'd returned my message yet and when I said you hadn't, she wrote down your address and told me, 'You and Lizzie need to talk. She's been a mess for the past four days, William Darcy.' By then it was around five. I had to finish up one of the cases I was working on before heading out. Of course, I wanted to leave sooner, but all of the interns just had so many questions that I didn't even get close my computer until eight. I was just about to pack everything up and come see you when my aunt stormed into my office.

"She was in an uproar. I barely understood what she was trying to say. All I heard was something about an impertinent girl and some other not as nice things. When she'd calmed enough to speak in complete sentences she told me she'd just talked with you. She'd said that Gigi may have let slip that you were at Pemberley and that Gigi was hoping that you'd become a sister to her. Catherine demanded that I tell her I had never had feelings for you and that I would never have a relationship with you. When I told her I could do as I pleased because I am my own person, she blew up again. She'd said, 'I expected more from you, William! From that girl, I expected her to refuse my demands, but you. I never expected you would disobey your family.'

"Elizabeth, what my aunt said gave me hope. I know I wasn't your favorite person in the world and I would never bring up my feelings again if I didn't have hope that maybe your feelings have changed as well. Lizzie…"

"Yes?" Her hand found his and gave him a squeeze. His eyes found hers and she saw the desperation in them.

"I still feel the same way I did months ago. I'd really like to ask you on a date."

"Then ask me."

"Elizabeth, would you do me the honor of going on a date with me?"

"I'd really like that."

* * *

 **A/N: Let me know if you'd like an epilogue. I realize there are some untied plot lines, but if you like it how it is good. If you want me to do an epilogue, leave me a review/PM me about it!**


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